In 1997, my husband and I joined a grassroots environmental group whose purpose was to defeat the siting of a hazardous waste incinerator in eastern North Carolina. Until then, we had been only lukewarm environmentalists--careful not to throw out roadside litter, re-cycling newspapers and aluminum cans when it was convenient, and worrying a bit from time to time about global warming, nuclear proliferation, and the killing of baby seals--but seldom if ever taking any kind of "action."     Raising Sand is very, very loosely based on our experiences--and absolutely none of the character bear any resemblance whatsoever to the people we were involved with--with the exception of Lou and Janet Zeller, who are the heart and soul of Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, and two of the most inspirational environmentalists we have ever had the priviledge of working with.     If there's a moral to this story, it's that no matter what your age or economic status, YOU can make a difference.    

Here's a sample from the book:      

"The day after I moved in, while we lingered at the breakfast table over a second cup of coffee--this one with a chunk of cheese melting in the botoom like Granny Flake used to like--Thomasina Thomas appeared at theback door with a pineapple pound cake and an invitation to joing what she called "a little ad hoc committee."    

Thomasina, a tall, square woman whose bulk, heavy mustache, chin hairs and beetled monobrow belied tha fact that she was a sweet, gentle woman with a joyful heart and a great sense of community, wrapped me in a smothering hug. "I would of waited 'til later to visit," she said, "but everybody says we got to get on top of this thing right off the bat."     "What thing?" Aunt Beam asked.     Thomasina ignored the question until she finished was was evidently a pre-planned speech. "Everybody says the same thing--we have to find out what Beam thinks. Get over there tomorrow, they told me, and tell her everything. She'll know what to do."

I love to hear from my readers, so if you like the book, hate the book, want to talk about someone you love who's in prison, or have some memory of that lovely, dark country that is eastern North Carolina, please drop me an e-mail, or a snail-mail note at Box 39, State Road, NC 28676.

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